Vicuña obtained approval from the Government to supply energy to a copper mining project for US$ 9.7 billion

The National Gas and Electricity Regulatory Entity (ENReGE) issued Resolution 330/2026 late on Tuesday, which authorizes the company to build the electrical work needed for your project and rejected the ten oppositions to have priority use over 90% of the new electrical capacity for 25 years.

Given the counterclaims unleashed after the national regulatory entity established the priority access conditions for Vicuña in February, the agency had to call a public hearing, which was held on June 3, and in total, ten opponents appeared. Now, ENReGE published in the Official Gazette its rejection of all claims.

Behind that decision there is the same idea: if no one else is going to put up the money to expand the electrical system, must be guaranteed Whoever puts it in will be able to use what they build. Furthermore, the regulator maintains that this leaves no one out: The old infrastructure is still open to everyone, and any other company can build their own extension if they want the same priority.

One opponent is Andes Corporación Minera, owner of the Los Azules project, which competes for space on the same power line. He had warned, among other things, that the real capacity of the Nueva San Juan-Rodeo line is far below that based on the original resolution and that, due to this difference, The priority that Vicuña receives leaves very little room for other projectsincluding Los Azules itself.

ENReGE’s response, as contained in the resolution, was formal: it maintained that Los Azules “is not even a party to the file” as an agent of the Wholesale Electricity Market, and that its project does not appear in the reference guide that Transener uses to project future demand.

Another claim was that of Barrick, which said that in 2006 it contributed US$55 million to build the Nueva San Juan-Rodeo section, and that this gives it the right to use up to 250 MW. They also claimed the Gualcamayo mine, the Hualilán project (from Golden Mining), Casposo, three San Juan municipalities (Calingasta, Jáchal and Iglesia) and a neighbor in the province.

The regulator responded to everyone with the same argument: High voltage lines are managed by the Nation, not by the provincesalthough the provinces have provided part of the money to build them, and in addition, he indicated that the benefit of exclusivity falls only on the new capacity that Vicuña will finance with its own resources, without touching the existing network.

The total investment is around US$800 million, borne exclusively by Vicuña, which assumes 100% of the CAPEX of the works. Transener will operate and maintain the new facilities.

While the permit is now signed, that doesn’t mean the fight is over. On July 3, in its last presentation, EPRE San Juan warned that, if ENReGE did not accept its conditions, I was going to go to court to stop Vicuña’s works.

In a statement, Vicuña maintains that the new 500 kV infrastructure will increase significantly the energy transportation capacity to the northwest of San Juan, eliminate existing structural restrictions and improve conditions for the future growth of provincial electricity demand.

“Obtaining the CCyNP (Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity, as the granted permit is called) represents a very important step for the development of the project,” said José Morea, Country Director of the company, who added that continues talking with the EPRE of San Juan to resolve the recognition of investments in already existing infrastructure.

Once Josemaría’s needs have been met, the mining company indicated that the remaining incremental capacity could eventually be used by other users, in accordance with current regulations, and also highlighted that the infrastructure, once completed, will become integrate the national electrical system like a permanent asset for San Juan.

Also, Vicuña highlights that the Rodeo-Chaparro corridor will contribute to the future Rodeo-Chaparro-La Rioja Sur interconnection, identified as priority in the national planning of the Ministry of Energy, and that the new node in Chaparro will generate better conditions for future photovoltaic projects in the area.

At that point he had claimed the province of La Rioja, asking that Vicuña also pay for a future electrical connection to that province. The ENReGE rejected it by confirming that the work leaves room for this connection with the bordering province to be carried out and that It would be unfair to make a private person pay for something they don’t need.